Libya: What America's Media Won't Report

by Stephen Lendman

August 1, 2011

America's media staunchly back all US imperial wars, regurgitating officials lies as truths. Moreover, they never explain their illegality or daily crimes of war and against humanity against civilians, as well as non-military related infrastructure and other sites.

Nonetheless, America's led Libya war may have backfired. In Tripoli, Middle East/Central Asian analyst Mahdi Nazemroaya told Progressive Radio News Hour listeners that NATO bombing united Libyans behind Gaddafi to save their country.

Instead, American and Western media falsify reports, claiming:

-- non-existent rebel gains;

-- Tripoli may fall;

-- the country may collapse;

-- Gaddafi has little support when, in fact, mass rallies turn out in Tripoli and elsewhere for him;

-- few civilians have been killed or injured when, in fact, around 1,200 or more have been killed, many thousands more injured;

-- NATO only attacks military targets when, in fact, civilian ones are deliberately struck; and

-- Tripoli is a ghost town, when, in fact, life goes on relatively normally in spite of daily bombings.

In other words, falsified reports suppress reality on the ground, including that NATO miscalculated. As a result, it's losing because Libyans are united against lawless, naked aggression, refusing to let their country become another imperial trophy.

Knowing Libya's been there before, they want none of it. Moreover, they understand Washington's Middle East/North Africa agenda to colonize the entire region, militarize and balkanize it, control its resources, steal its wealth, and exploit its people ruthlessly. It's why all US wars are fought, never for humanitarian reasons.

It's the same dirty game Washington and its coalition allies repeat against all nations less than totally under their control, especially resource-rich ones. As a result, Libya was targeted for takeover, a plan that may, in fact, have backfired.

It explained the illegitimate National Transitional Council's (NTC) disarray, evident by the assassination of its military commander, Gen. Abdul Fatah Younis. After rebel leaders admitted it (despite initially claiming his war death), The New York Times had to acknowledge what it first tried to suppress or play down, what it always does unless caught red-handed.

Its credibility was in tatters after Younis' assassination, revealing "a bloody internal feud." Evidence now shows he and two aides were savagely murdered, shot at close range, perhaps tortured, and their bodies mutilated and burned, signifying how rebel Al Qaeda elements operate.

Legitimate Independent Reporting

Reporting from Tripoli, independent journalist Lizzie Phelan emailed me information to pass on to Progressive Radio Hour listeners, including that two days after Britain recognized the illegitimate TNC as Libya's government, its military commander was assassinated.

Afterward, NTC leaders reportedly fled Benghazi in the wake of a popular uprising against them. In contrast, there's "complete security (in Tripoli) with families enjoying days at the beach and getting ready for Ramadan (beginning August 1)."

On July 28, Gaddafi told hundreds of thousands of Tripoli residents that a battle was occurring in Benghazi. Its people are challenging TNC occupation, and when Younis' death was announced at 2:00AM, "huge celebrations (erupted) across Tripoli with fireworks and celebratory gunfire until the early hours."

She confirmed that Libya's largest Warfalla tribe was marching to the rebel capital, as well as Libyan armed forces already there, adding:

Gaddafi's "green flag is (again) flying in military barracks in Benghazi. Massive celebrations will take place in Tripoli tonight."

Though a hopeful sign, don't expect Washington and its NATO partners to back off gracefully. It took nearly a decade to balkanize and colonize Yugoslavia. Years more destabilization and conflict may try doing the same to Libya, whether or not it succeeds.

Aftermath of Rebel Commander's Death

On July 30, AP reported that Younis' son, Ashraf, broke down at his father's funeral, "crying and screaming as they lowered the body into the ground - in a startling and risky display in a city (Benghazi) that was the first to shed Gaddafi's rule nearly six months ago - pleaded hysterically for the return of the Libyan leader to bring stability," saying:

"We want Muammar to come back! We want the green flag back!" referring to Libya's national banner under him.

Notably on July 29, London Guardian writer Richard Seymour headlined, "Gaddafi is stronger than ever in Libya," saying:

NATO's war "has not gone well." Efforts are under way to end it. No sign of a palace coup against Gaddafi exists. In fact, "(if his) regime is not more in control of Libya than before, then this completely undermines the simplistic view put about by the supporters of war - and unfortunately by (rebel elements) - that the situation was simply one of a hated tyrant hanging on through mercenary violence."

From the start, of course, it was part of the Big Lie to justify war to remove him. It's now known "that rebellious sectors started to go back to Gaddafi within weeks of the revolt taking off, meaning" his support was stronger than reported, and now much more so.

Moreover, despite over 30 nations recognizing the illegitimate TNC, "this is pure cynicism." In addition, Amnesty International and other independent sources disproved claims about Gaddafi committing mass killings and atrocities. "This completely demolishes the last leg of the moral case for war."

"In fact, if there was any idea that the US could offer an alternative model of development for the populations of the Middle East, it now lies in ruins. It is more than unfortunate that Libya had to be reduced to ruins for this to become apparent."

Although stopping short of calling for an immediate bombing halt, compare Seymour's report to the latest July 30 New York Times one. In unabashed anti-Gaddafi mode, writer David Kirkpatrick headlined, "NATO Strikes at Libyan State TV," saying:

On Saturday, NATO "disabled three Libyan state television transmission dishes in Tripoli with airstrikes overnight, as the alliance took steps to remove the main instrument of (Gaddafi) propaganda from the airwaves."

Of course, The New York Times, as "the newspaper of record," functions as the equivalent of an official US state propaganda service, reporting daily misinformation managed news, not vital truths readers need to know.

"Ten years on, no one has been held to account for the NATO attack on the Serbian state radio and television (RTS) building that left 16 civilians dead." The Belgrade strike left 16 others injured.

"The bombing of the headquarters of Serbian state radio and television was a deliberate attack on a civilian object and as such constitutes a war crime," Sian Jones, AI's Balkans expert said.

NATO told AI it bombed RTS "because of its propaganda function, in order to undermine the morale of the population and the armed forces." AI dismissed the claim as false justification of a war crime.

The same holds for bombing Libya Jamahiriya Broadcasting Corporation (LJBC), airing television and radio news, cultural and other reports, including satellite TV in Arabic, English and French throughout the Middle East and Europe.

It's Libya's equivalent of Britain's government-funded and controlled BBC, charging residents a monthly fee on their television receivers, whether or not they watch it.

NATO tried but failed to silence Libya's LJBC to assure only its own message got out, saying:

"Our intervention was necessary as TV was being used as an integral component of the regime apparatus designed to systematically oppress and threaten civilians and to incite attacks against them. Qaddafi's increasing practice of inflammatory broadcasts illustrates his regime's policy to instill hatred amongst Libyans, to mobilize its supporters against civilians and to trigger bloodshed."

In fact, it was NATO's latest ball-faced lie. Nonetheless, Kirkpatrick dutifully regurgitated it, the way disgraced former Times writer Judith Miller did, functioning as a Pentagon press agent in the run-up to the Iraq war.

A Final Comment

Though ground-based satellites were disabled, LJBC kept broadcasting, issuing a statement that three employees were killed, another 15 wounded. LJBC official Khalid Bazelya said:

"We are not a military target. We are not commanders in the army and we do not pose a threat to civilians. We are performing our job as journalists representing what we wholeheartedly believe is the reality of NATO aggression and the violence in Libya."

In fact, when Gaddafi's speeches and comments from other state officials are aired, or guests express pro-regime support, it's no different than what appears on US TV.

Every channel (including so-called public television news and opinion shows) is littered with Democrat and Republican representatives, as well as full coverage for presidents' speeches and many other public appearances.

It's very much the same in other Western countries where, in fact, voices opposing imperial and corporate policies are virtually entirely shut out.

There and in America, real information on what people most need to know (including why Washington attacked Libya) is available only through alternative print and broadcast sources, mostly online.

Make them a regular habit, and what a previous article urged, saying imagine freedom from all managed and junk food news. Tune out and make it happen.

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

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